I dont think there is any real question of STARSHIP TROOPER being set up an ironic indictment of war and fascism. Verhoeven's sophomoric use of irony is so convoluted and overwhelming that once again, Verhoeven's lack of subtility and sadistic tendencies will no doubt be applauded as parody, since it boggles the mind to think that Verhoeven could be as bad as his films indicate. But bad he is. And cunning. Verhoeven's choice of material (50s sci-f, bad-girl melodrama -Showgirls) allows him and mush-headed critics the ability to justify his shoddy execution as a form of ironic commentary. One has to wonder why Verhoeven would choice to adapt a book which he obviously disdains ideologically. My impression is that STARSHIP TROOPERS is a FORMAL reaction against the plastic-MEATless S.G.I. film and Verhoeven's main simple minded thesis is: WARS ARE REALLY BLOODY MORE SO THAN EVER DEPICTED IN FILM PRIOR. Much has been made of Verhoeven's war experience and his exposure to carnage. Thus, he is positioned as an AUTHENTIC auteur of gore. None the less, this should'nt but the sole defining aesthetic of a filmmaker, but in Verhoeven's case it is. Verhoeven's cynicism as a filmmaker is unrivaled even by the standards of Kubrick and the Cohen brothers. With the later, one feels at least, as if their vision/misanthropist impulse is informed by a keen intelligence/wit that appreciates subtlety and restraint. What I find most distressing is that worthwhile films like BLUE VELVET and HENRY PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL killer are vilified, while STARSHIP TROOPER will more than likely fly under the seriouse discourse radar. And if nothing else be applauded as satire,or even worse be rewarded with bonzo box-office returns. It's time that critics and scholars alike realize that the shoddy use of established paradigms --be it the dime-store Freudianism that informs most noir or the over-blown, ironic posturing of Veerhoven's work -- should'nt be used as a intellectual justification for shallow film-making. Christian Doellner [log in to unmask] ------------------------------------------ ... dirty poets scratching and clawing, confused and strong and protective of their soft insides. JOHNETTE NAPOLITANO on X ------------------------------------------- ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite http://www.tcf.ua.edu/screensite